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██▌ Artist...: NDV ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Invisible ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2020 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel.Date.: 2020-10-04 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Progressive Rock ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: English Electric Recordings / Sweetwater Studios ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Album ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Prelude 2:21
2. Invisible 3:51
3. Turn Your Life Around 7:45
4. I'm Gone 4:00
5. Money (That's What I Want) 4:49
6. Waiting for No One 2:46
7. Snake Oil Salesman 3:34
8. Where's the Passion 6:49
9. Mercy 7:14
10. Overcome 5:20
11. In My Bones 4:20
12. Wrong Place Wrong Time 4:10
13. Not My Time to Say Goodbye 7:02
14. I Know the Way 5:05
------
69:06
In these days of short attention spans and instant gratification,
thereÆs something very refreshing about sitting down with your favourite
beverage, placing an album on/in the stereo and letting an artist take
you on a musical journey. Nick DÆVirgilio has been on a personal
musical journey that began a few years before the release of his debut
solo album back in 2001. Nick is probably best known for his time in
SpockÆs Beard where he started as the drummer and branched out into
frontman duties. But this association barely scratches the surface of a
varied and interesting CV; thereÆs an ongoing relationship with Big Big
Train û and fifteen years working with Tears For Fears - while still
finding time to record and/or perform with many of the best in the
business including the late Kevin Gilbert, Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa)
and a five-year stint as drummer/singer/assistant bandleader with the
Cirque Du Soleil organisation touring their Totem show. For æInvisibleÆ
Nick DÆVirgilio (NDV) pulls together elements from all of his various
musical endeavours and throws in a left turn or two on an obvious labour
of love that finds the singer/drummer/multi-instrumentalist at the top
of his game.
The first thing I should say about æInvisibleÆ is itÆs a very accessible
album, when people hear the term progressive rock and concept album
their eyes tend to glaze over with thoughts of 70s excess and grandeur.
To many progressive rock fans, this is a big attraction, while to other
classic rock fans or the casual listener it can be a potential negative.
NDV does a fine job of mixing up the epic æTurn Your Life AroundÆ with
the more accessible, a clever take on Barrett StrongÆs æMoney (ThatÆs
What I Want)Æ, resulting in an album that walks that particular
tightrope with the assurance and skill of Philippe Petit traversing
between two towers.
The æInvisibleÆ concept revolves around the people that donÆt have jobs
and just exist on the peripheries of the world as we know it or have
jobs that we take for granted and donÆt notice. IÆm sure NDV had no idea
just how this particular concept would strike a chord in 2020 when the
previously invisible, the likes of cleaners, porters and shop workers
would become heroes of the pandemic. As a small aside, these folks were
hardly invisible to everyone - IÆve spent the majority of my career in
retail and leisure management situations - but itÆs truly amazing how
people are taken for granted, especially those doing more menial work.
The pandemic should remind us that we all have a purpose; you donÆt have
to be a captain of Industry to make an important contribution to the
world around you.
æInvisibleÆ was recorded at Abbey Road in London and at NDVÆs home base,
the state-of-the-art Sweetwater complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana and
needless to say it doesnÆt sound like any expense was spared. NDV also
seems to have an enviable contact list that features some of the very
best musicians in the business that he can call on. Opening with a
sweeping classical piece æPreludeÆ which features a full-blown
orchestra, NDV sets his stall out early before gently easing into the
title track, a lush orchestral ballad thatÆs built around Carl
VerheyenÆs (Supertramp) predominantly acoustic guitar lines but itÆs The
Flower KingsÆ Jonas Reingold whose lovely, languid fretless bass work
that ties everything together. At seven minutes plus æTurn Your Life
AroundÆ is epic for all the right reasons. Lyrically and vocally thereÆs
more than a hint of menace and anguish in NDVÆs delivery as our
protagonist deals with his mundane existence. The nine to five is
grinding him down. The song ebbs and flows building to a crescendo as
NDV takes his place behind the kit for the first time on the album. His
huge pounding forceful drum sound laying the foundations for Jem Godfrey
(Frost) to employ every trick at his command, merging old-school synth
sounds with the new to great effect, from pulsating sci-fi bursts and
bleeps to sweeping orchestral soundscapes. Randy McStineÆs insistent
guitar work is also to the fore accentuating the gritty and unsettling
tone of the piece. The production here is very well-conceived with NDV
and co-producer Mark Hornsby utilizing the soundstage to its full width
as odd bits of synth and backing vocal pop up and swirl left and right.
Things take a marked left turn as we go all funky for æIÆm GoneÆ for
which NDV claims inspiration from the Bee Gees classic æStayinÆ AliveÆ
but all I can hear, to be honest, is that this owes a massive debt to
George Michael. The resulting track, whatever the influences, is a
terrific slab of funky pop with a strong vocal, a perfectly judged
contribution from Nashville session guitarist Tom Hemby and you just
have to love those backing vocals.
If æIÆm GoneÆ was a left turn then æMoney (ThatÆs What I Want) is a
further step again. The Barrett Strong classic has been covered by
everyone from The Beatles to The Flying Lizards so itÆs an odd choice,
but at the same time fits beautifully into the concept of æInvisibleÆ.
NDV tackles æMoneyÆ in a brooding way with some nice jazzy bass playing
from Jonas Reingold. Mix some wonderfully soulful backing vocals with
unexpected cinematic, orchestral flourishes that bring to mind John
Barry, resulting in a terrific take on a very well-known song which is
always fraught with danger. æWaiting For No OneÆ is an orchestral piano
ballad that features a nice jazzy solo from Carl Verheyen but is,
unfortunately, a little too Andrew Lloyd Webber for my taste but things
are soon back on track with the hard-RockinÆ æSnake Oil SalesmanÆ which
sounds like the sort of tune perfect for Dennis De Young on an old Styx
album - which is just fine with me.
By now weÆre at the midpoint of æInvisibleÆ and next up is æWhereÆs The
PassionÆ which might be familiar as it was the first piece of music
released to promote the album. Jordan RudessÆ (Dream Theater) piano
ushers in the song, joined by ReingoldÆs bass and NDVÆs drums. ItÆs
worth noting that Nick employs an additional drum loop here - not for
the first time on the album - and it works well in addition to a
traditional kit (as a side note the CD includes a terrific additional
booklet for all you drum geeks). æWhereÆs The PassionÆ utilises the full
power of the Abbey Road orchestra with full strings and brass and
features a melody line that will be familiar as it appears throughout
the album. Randy McStine again adds his guitar chops to proceedings and
pulls off an extended solo to conclude another epic six-minute plus
track. An atmospheric ambient intro leads into æMercyÆ probably the
hardest rockinÆ track on the album with NDV joined in the engine room by
the legendary Tony Levin. The duo lock-in and hit hard, displaying
plenty of power, while still allowing room for Levin to demonstrate his
renowned abilities. Jem GodfreyÆs synths are again vital to the overall
feel of the track and McStine pulls off his most impressive playing yet
with an extended solo.
Mr Big and Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert appears, seemingly out of
nowhere, to introduce us to æOvercomeÆ as the strings swell in the
background Gilbert unleashes a flurry of notes that donÆt seem to belong
in the song, but Paul Gilbert is always good value. æOvercomeÆ is
notable for Jacob DupreÆs keys contribution and the Queen-like quality
of the backing vocal arrangement. DupreÆs swirling organ brings us to
æIn My BonesÆ with multiple saxophones added to the mix and a typically
ramshackle guitar solo from Cheap TrickÆs Rick Nielsen. æIn The BonesÆ
stylistically has a rockinÆ but swinging jazz band sound that doesnÆt
quite connect with this listener, but that doesnÆt make it any less
interesting. æWrong Time, Wrong PlaceÆ is notable for musically being
all NDV with the addition of another McStine solo. Nick pulls this off
with some style especially in the way he layers his vocals to enhance
the feelings of confusion and bewilderment. Orchestral brass is a
feature of æNot My Time To Say GoodbyeÆ which again features the melodic
phrasing that had appeared often during the album. The idea of a
repeated melodic line is often used in film scores attached to
characters or situations and it works equally well here. The album
concludes with the upbeat pop-rock of æI Know The WayÆ which is perfect
in capturing the feeling of positivity weÆve been working toward for the
last sixty-five minutes ôLife is flowing through my veins and I know the
wayö.
Nick DÆVirgilio has put an awful lot of work into æInvisibleÆ and the
result is there for all to hear. The album is a beautifully produced
record with a thoughtfully laid out and precise mix allowing the
instruments room to breathe coupled with great players and well-written
songs. The overall concept hangs together well and has a positivity that
can be taken at first glance or looked into a little more deeply. Fans
of NDV and the acts he has associated with throughout his career will be
impressed, while thereÆs also plenty for the more casual listener to
discover.
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